Raven’s Pass On Top Again At Book 2

By Emma Berry

Only one filly in the history of the October Sale’s Book 2 has ever sold for more than 370,000gns, which was the price given for lot 593, Rathbarry Stud’s daughter of Raven’s Pass (Elusive Quality) out of the listed-placed Aneedah (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Tony Nerses held his nerve the longest to add the sturdy bay filly to the racing string of Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar, seeing off attempts by Ross Doyle and Liam Norris. In the buyer’s opinion, his latest acquisition wouldn’t have looked out of place in last week’s Book 1 sale. He said, “She’s the most beautiful filly I’ve seen in a long time. She’s special – very athletic and with a great page. It’s nice to find a filly of this calibre in Book 2.” Nerses added, “I didn’t really come here to buy today. I just had to come in for a meeting, but I saw her this morning and I loved her.” The filly’s breeder Paul Cashman of Rathbarry Stud said, “She’s been very straightforward throughout. We bought the mare here [for 220,000gns in 2012] carrying to New Approach and we’ve put that filly into training.” Aneedah, a sister to dual Group 2-winning sprinter Muthmir (Ire), is now in foal to Intello (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}) and has a colt foal by Rathbarry resident Acclamation (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}.

Darley’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Raven’s Pass has enjoyed some notable sales-ring highlights in the last fortnight, led by his Orby Sale-topping daughter from Pat O’Kelly’s Welsh Flame family, who was bought by Moyglare Stud for €2 million.

His 12 lots sold through Book 1 returned an average of 164,667 with a top price of 450,000gns for the filly out of Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). A further five sold during the first session of Book 2 at an average price of 157,600gns. Rathbarry’s filly led a solid opening session of the three-day Book 2 Sale, with 231 of the 277 yearlings offered bringing turnover to 14,585,000gns (down by 6%) for four more horses sold than in 2014. This time last year, the first day was the strongest of Book 2 and the average and median figures this time around each dropped by 8% to 63,141gns and 48,000gns. The clearance rate also fell to 83% (from 89%).

Sheikh Mohammed returns to lucky family

John Ferguson spent almost 8.5 million gns on Sheikh Mohammed’s behalf during Book 1 and continued in busy fashion during the curtain-up for Book 2, adding a further ten yearlings to the books for 1,335,000gns. Heading the list was lot 626 a Cheveley Park Stud-bred colt by the farm’s perennially commercial stallion Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}). The son of dual winner Bahia Emerald (Ire) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), who was knocked down for 280,000gns, hails from a family with which the Sheikh has enjoyed much success and includes champion 2-year-old filly Embassy (GB). Fittingly, the daughter of Cadeaux Genereux (GB) won the G1 Cheveley Park S. back in 1997 in Sheikh Mohammed’s maroon-and-white silks. A Power (Ire) filly out of Embassy’s half-sister Tarfshi (GB) (Mtoto {GB}) sold for 180,000gns to the Mayfair Speculators in Book 1.

Classic breeder reaps more success

Anthony Oppenheimer’s Hascombe & Valiant Stud is flying high as the breeder of this year’s Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and while the four-time Group 1 winner was unsold at Tattersalls as a yearling, the same fate did not befall lot 590, the stud’s colt by Elusive City (Elusive Quality) colt out of Ammo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), a sister to the G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Sadler’s Flag (Ire).

The May 6 colt’s second and third dams are the group winners Animatrice and Alexandrie, the latter being the dam of the Haras d’Etreham sire Poliglote (GB) (Sadler’s Wells). Charlie Gordon-Watson stepped up to the plate at 250,000gns and said, “He’s a really good colt from fantastic breeders – I also bought Cannock Chase from them. He’s for an existing client and will be trained by Sir Michael Stoute.” Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid), who races in the Derby-winning colours of Saeed Suhail and is also trained by Stoute, won the listed Godolphin S. on his last start and is set to line up in Sunday’s GI Pattison Canadian International.

Redgate’s Zoffany colt to Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Jockey Club team made their first purchase of the week when selecting a colt, lot 712 by Europe’s leading first-season sire Zoffany (Ire) for 240,000gns. The sale price was the highest yet for Damian Flynn and Emma Foley’s Redgate Bloodstock, which consigned the first foal of the multiple-winning Iffraaj (Ire) mare Close To The Edge (Ire) on behalf of Charles Wentworth, who bred the colt in partnership with Foley. “He was a lovely athletic colt and I went back to look at him two of three times,” said Mark Richardson of HKJC.

“He’s exactly the type of model we’re looking for. The sire’s made a great start and he seems to put plenty of speed into his offspring. This colt walked like he really wanted to do it.”

Wentworth, who also owns Group-winning sprinter Caspar Netscher (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), initially bought Close To The Edge for £30,000 at the DBS Breeze-up Sale of 2010 and enjoyed four trips to the winner’s enclosure during her racing career.

Redgate Bloodstock relocated to Langham Hall Stud near Bury St Edmunds last October and sealed their anniversary celebrations with a terrific result. “It’s a real buzz,” said Flynn. “It’s always quite nerve-racking to move horses but we’re delighted with how things are going at Langham Hall and this is a great advertisement for the stud and a lovely result for Charles and Emma with a first foal.”

Long-term prospect for Normandie Stud

The Watership Down Stud-consigned filly by Lawman (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) out of the Group 3-placed Bufera (Ire) (King’s Best) will eventually find herself in the Normandie Stud paddocks after being bought by Nicholas Cooper through agent Anthony Stroud for 230,000gns. The filly, lot 662, owns an enticing pedigree and is closely related to G1 St James’ Palace S. winner and young Coolmore sire Most Improved (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), whose dam Tonnara (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}) is a half-sister to Bufera. Her 2-year-old full-sister Chartreuse (Ire), who is trained in France by Freddy Head for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, has won since the publication of the catalogue and is entered for the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville next week. A member of the Racehorse Owners Association Council, Cooper and his wife Philippa own Normandie Stud in Sussex, which has enjoyed notable homebred success on the racecourse via the likes of G1 Irish St Leger winner Duncan (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and the Group 1-winning fillies Fallen For You (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and Sultanina (GB) (New Approach {Ire}).

Shadwell shows support again

During last year’s Book 2 sale, Shadwell’s Angus Gold was the leading buyer and signed for 36 yearlings for a little over 5 million gns. He appeared intent on making his presence felt again with 13 first-day purchases totalling 1,755,000gns. They included a quartet of 200,000gns yearlings, three of them colts by Dream Ahead (lot 569), Dark Angel (Ire) (lot 600) and Pivotal (GB) (lot 666). Darley’s shuttle stallion Sepoy (Aus) (Elusive Quality) currently leads the freshman sires with representatives in Book 2, his ten first-day entrants selling for a total of 853,000gns. Shadwell acquired the most expensive of the day – a Castledillon Stud pinhooked filly (lot 665) who improved in price from an 82,000gns foal to a 200,000gns yearling and is the first foal of the listed Conqueror S. winner Burke’s Rock (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Former champion jockey Richard Hughes will train a Sepoy son of the G2 Oaks d’Italia winner Zanzibar (Ire) (In The Wings {Ire}) after purchasing him for 100,000gns from breeder Kevin Mercer of Usk Valley Stud. Zanzibar has already produced a talented runner in Spice Route (GB) (King’s Best), a dual winner and Group-placed in the UK before being exported to the US where he added three graded stakes victories to his record for Roger Attfield, including the GII Third Elkhorn S. at Keeneland.

Book 2 continues today at 10am (local time).